Thursday, June 13, 2013



This is my daddy. I'm thinking this pic was taken about 1964 or 1965. Several, I mean several years before I was born. Ok, Ok, Ok 4 years.

I'm a tad bit proud of this vinegar loving, tomato growing fanatic. This man takes a teaspoon of vinegar every day. He's like the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who sprays Windex on everything. He says it keeps the fleas away but I still haven't figured it out......there's no fleas in Oklahoma say in November thru March. I think this is where I've learned that you do not need a lot of different, high dollar products to do things like cooking, cleaning, treating a medical issue, or just eating/drinking it. Seriously, my sister and I did not have cough syrup growing up......daddy would line us up and give us a teaspoon of vinegar and honey.  We never asked questions, he held our nose and down the hatch it went.  Gag me with a spoon. We now taunt him and occasionally ask if he bathes in it. I think he does.  So let me share a few things that I have learned about vinegar.

1. There's all kinds of vinegar. White, red wine, balsamic (my favorite), rice, distilled, and on and on.

2. It makes a great blend for your HOMEMADE salad dressing. Don't ever, ever buy the bottled kind. you are throwing your money away not to mention filling your gut with all kinds of extra ingredients.

3. It goes good on your fish at Long John Silvers. It is good on potato chips. I like the Lays Salt and Vinegar. My boys think I'm weird.

4.  Here's a recipe that I recently found. The new craze is boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Notice it has a honey/vinegar glaze....and it is good.


Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs $
    Click to see savings

  • Cooking spray
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preparation

  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
  3. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

5. Fill a mason jar, ball jar, cleaned out pickle jar full of apple cider vinegar and put it by your outside door.  It keeps the black flies out of your house.   (Thank you Lori Fulk, you are thinking like HJ)

6.  Mix equal parts of distilled vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol to clean your floors.

So enough about vinegar. Let me tell you another little tidbit about this guy. He was one of the fastest running backs in the history of the Wagoner High School Bulldog Football team and until recently he was one of top touchdown scorers of all times. Here's the magic number......21 touchdowns in 1962.  I asked him for the statistics and he changed the subject and wanted to talk about everything else under the sun but him. He's not one to toot his own horn. He's so humble. He's bona fide. He's my daddy.

He is supposed to be attending his 50th class reunion this weekend. Just saying, he probably won't go.

Happy Fathers Day HJ.